Tracked
by Kathy Rose
Summary: Enterprise encounters a new race that's friendly, but the crew manages to lose the captain anyway. This is set early in the series, before the command staff knows each other very well.


AUTHOR'S NOTES: This was one of my very first ENT stories several years ago, and it led to three others in the same vein, following up on Malcolm and Hoshi's developing relationship. I was browsing through my old stories the other day and realized I'd never posted this here. Thanks to ozchick for the great beta.

* * *

Hoshi sighed, pushed a strand of hair back in place, and straightened in her seat. She'd been sitting at her console on the bridge for more than eight hours now, helping with scans of the planet below them. She had long passed the stage where she was stiff; she now felt petrified.

It didn't matter that the scans weren't showing anything; they hadn't shown anything since they arrived almost three days ago.

And now they didn't show where the captain was.

* * *

Because initial scans had revealed no life forms, it came as a surprise that someone lived on the planet. Shortly after Enterprise assumed orbit, Hoshi was startled when her console beeped, indicating an incoming message.

The Kellians, as they called themselves, were an advanced people. Although they had no desire to leave their planet, they eagerly welcomed visitors. They were rather amused by the reaction they got when they contacted any ship orbiting their planet. They knew their civilization always came as a surprise, since there was an energy field around their world that prevented scans from revealing their existence.

There was a welcoming celebration for the Enterprise attended by the senior staff that lasted an entire day. Most of the festivities involved eating, drinking, and mingling. To Hoshi, it looked like the mixers she had attended during her Starfleet training, although no one there had bronze skin like the humanoid Kellians.

"It is nice to find someone out here who actually likes to meet new people," Captain Archer commented to his officers as the party began to wind down. "I'll admit that some of our first contacts haven't gone quite as smoothly as I would have liked."

T'Pol glanced at Archer and looked like she was about to comment, but settled for raising one eyebrow. Turning to Trip, Archer saw that his friend was opening his mouth to say something. Archer gave him a glare, silently ordering the chief engineer not make any sarcastic comments about previous first contacts.

Hoshi stifled a giggle at the exchange. She was glad the captain wasn't putting up with any arguments from the two people who had a tendency to contradict him. She didn't want any petty bickering to spoil the feeling of relaxation she was enjoying. It wasn't a feeling she had often in contacts with new species.

Archer begged off when the Kellian prime leader asked them to stay even longer, saying they wanted to be well rested for the next day's activities. As it was, there were more than a few yawns during a briefing of the senior staff before they headed down to the planet the next morning.

"I'm going to meet with the Kellians' prime leader at the government offices in the capital city," Archer told the officers. "T'Pol and Dr. Phlox are going to be visiting the Kellians' medical facilities.

"Trip, although they aren't warp-capable, you and Travis are invited to visit the Kellians' transport manufacturing facility. They have some interesting modifications for air-flight vehicles that we might be able to adapt for the shuttlepods."

Finishing up the assignments, Archer said, "Hoshi, you've been invited to tour the Kellians' planetary library."

Malcolm cleared his throat. "What about me, sir?" the armory officer asked.

"I know you're disappointed, Malcolm," Archer said with a grin, "but the Kellians haven't had any fighting--no war, no civil disobedience, nothing--for as long as they can remember. So, they don't have any weapons to speak of. You can tag along with any of the others, or you can go sightseeing. That's what I plan to do after my meeting. I understand some of the countryside is quite beautiful."

* * *

The planetary library collection was housed in a three-story stone building that covered more than a city block in the capital city. Hoshi found the library incredibly interesting. Not only did the Kellians have electronic archives, but a wealth of printed material as well.

"There's just something about books made out of paper," she remarked, flipping through the pages of a heavy tome on early Kellian history. "I've always thought books printed on paper are much more satisfying than reading off a PADD."

"Turning pages in a book does have an appeal not found scrolling down a screen," Malcolm commented. He was busy doing nothing, standing at the end of the aisle, looking out at the common reading area. He hadn't picked up a single book since they'd arrived.

"Look, Lieutenant, if you're bored, you can go find something else to do," Hoshi told him. "I don't know why you came with me."

"Because you're the only one, other than the captain, who was invited to do something without another crewmember along."

"Honestly, sir, like something's going to happen here? In a library? What could be more peaceful?" she asked incredulously.

"It would be more peaceful if you weren't talking so loudly, Ensign. Aren't libraries supposed to be quiet?" Malcolm retorted testily in a hushed tone.

Hoshi stared at him. For the taciturn lieutenant, this was equal to an emotional outburst. The strident whisper in his British accent reminded Hoshi of an irritated librarian shushing loud children. She felt a giggle bubbling up but failed to totally squash it. She wound up making a strangled snorting sound instead.

Malcolm knew full well she was trying not to laugh. So he gave her the look, the one mothers, teachers and librarians use to great effect. The one that says, "Stop whatever it is you are doing or the consequences will be dire." It certainly worked wonders on the armory crew when he believed discipline was lacking.

Hoshi couldn't help it. She burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry," she said, "but I think you've missed a second calling, Lieutenant. I just had this image of you sitting behind the main desk of a library, brandishing a phase pistol, telling the patrons to be quiet."

Now it was Malcolm's turn to chuckle, although he did it quietly.

"It would be an effective deterrent, wouldn't it?" he agreed, "but the pistol would have to be set on stun. Wouldn't want to damage any of the books."

Hoshi spent the rest of the morning happily browsing the collections in the library. One of the librarians helped her arrange a download of various Kellian literature works and histories to take back to the Enterprise. In return, Hoshi had been authorized by the captain to give the Kellians copies of some of Earth's great literature.

Malcolm continued to be her shadow, and while Hoshi wasn't usually attracted to the strong, silent type, she was somewhat flattered that he chose to be with her rather than accompany the captain.

The officers were to meet for a mid-day meal at one of the restaurants in the capital city, and Hoshi and Malcolm were the first to arrive. Trip and Travis came in soon after, followed by T'Pol and Phlox. Drinks were ordered as they waited for Archer.

"Maybe he got held up with some of those government officials," Trip suggested.

"I've never known the captain not to be punctual for an appointment," said T'Pol. "If he has been detained, he would notify us. Perhaps we should check with the prime leader's office."

"It's kind of a pain that the Kellians want us to use their communications system 'stead of our communicators," Trip remarked.

"It is their custom to offer all their amenities to visitors," T'Pol informed him. "That includes the use of their public comm system. To not do so could offend them."

"The captain may have lost track of the time," Travis offered. "You know how excited he gets when we encounter something new."

"Look who's talkin'," Trip teased the helmsman. "I don't understand how you can still work up so much enthusiasm, havin' grown up a boomer an' all. You must've seen new things all the time."

"New is new no matter where you find it, Commander," Travis remarked over his growling stomach. Embarrassed, he shrugged and said, "We're all hungry, so could we go ahead and order while we're waiting?"

"I believe Ensign Mayweather's suggestion is appropriate. In the meantime," T'Pol said as she stood up from the table, "I will use the public comm to contact the prime leader's office. Perhaps a subtle reminder about the time will encourage the captain to make more haste in joining us."

"So, what'd you do all mornin', Malcolm?" Trip asked as T'Pol walked away.

"I accompanied Ensign Sato to the library," Malcolm said.

"The library? Whatever for? No offense, Hoshi, but Malcolm must be really bored to do that," Trip remarked. "I know they don't have anything to shoot or blow up on this planet, but still..."

"You seem to forget that the British encourage a well-rounded education," Malcolm stated. "We are expected to have proficiency in any number of subjects. Literature played a big part in my formal schooling. ... And before you ask, no, they did not have any comic books at the library."

Trip was opening his mouth to retort when T'Pol returned to the table and announced bluntly, "The captain is not at the prime leader's office."

"Well, where is he?" Trip asked.

"The prime leader does not know. He did say the captain said he wanted to look at some of the outlying areas."

Trip and Malcolm shared a concerned glance.

"Have you tried contacting the captain with the communicator?" the security officer asked the subcommander.

"Yes, Lieutenant, immediately after I talked with the prime leader's office. There was no reply. The captain is 30 minutes late. He may have, in Mr. Mayweather's words, 'lost track of time.'" T'Pol thought for a moment. "However, this is a new planet. There may be hazards of which we are unaware."

* * *

Someone had seen the captain in a vast parklike area on the outskirts of the capital city. T'Pol, Trip and Travis remained on the planet to help with the search. Hoshi and Malcolm went back to Enterprise to conduct scans of the planet's surface.

"This is useless," Hoshi practically snarled at her console after she had spent more than an entire shift sitting there. "The captain's still not answering his communicator. And we haven't been able to register any life signs since we got here."

Across the bridge at his station, Malcolm looked drawn, but he was working diligently. He'd been at his station as long as Hoshi had been at hers. If anything, his frustration was greater than hers. He was the security officer after all, and he had misplaced one of the people for whom he was responsible. To make matters worse, it was the captain, the most important of all the people he was supposed to protect.

He'd made an error in judgment. Believing that the captain would be safe on the peaceful planet, he had opted to accompany Hoshi to the library. Concern for her safety was a factor in that decision, but not the only one. A morning with Hoshi in the library was much more appealing than several hours of diplomacy with the captain. Now he was sorry that he had allowed personal feelings to influence his actions but, he realized with a start, not nearly as sorry as he should have been.

"The Kellians did tell us that occasionally there are breaks in the energy field that allow scans to work, if only for a limited time," Malcolm reminded Hoshi.

"Yes, but they also said they have no way of knowing when that happens," Hoshi said. "It could be in a few minutes or a week or next year. That's why they don't have anything like scanners on their world--they're useless."

Any reply Malcolm would have made was interrupted by a beep on Hoshi's console. Opening the channel, Hoshi heard Phlox's voice from sickbay.

"Ensign Sato, are you still on duty? Well, I was just feeding my animals and had a thought. Porthos has been alone for most of the day. Someone ought to check on him."

"Oh, my gosh! I forgot all about him!" Hoshi exclaimed. "I'll take care of it. Thank you, Doctor."

"You're welcome, Ensign. You should take a break, too, considering how long you've been on the bridge," the Denobulan told her before closing the channel.

Hoshi turned to Malcolm. "Sir, you heard Dr. Phlox. Porthos is probably starved by now. I'd go take care of him, but I don't have the access codes for the captain's quarters."

"I can override the codes," Malcolm said, "but I'll have to come with you. I can't do it from the bridge."

Signaling their reliefs to take over their posts, they left the bridge together.

Porthos was overjoyed by the company. After leaping and bounding around Hoshi and Malcolm for a few minutes, the captain's beagle settled down enough to receive a good tummy rub from Hoshi.

"Bet you're hungry, aren't you?" Hoshi said, kneeling on the floor as she petted him.

Malcolm stood by the door, waiting for the linguist to finish taking care of the captain's dog. He would have to reinitialize the codes to the door when they left. Besides, there was Hoshi on her hands and knees on the floor playing with Porthos. He rather liked the view.

He gave himself a mental shake. What was wrong with him? Usually he had no difficulty keeping his attention focused on the problem at hand. It would be best if he didn't follow where thoughts about Hoshi were taking him. However, after they found the captain, perhaps...

Hoshi continued to chatter brightly to the beagle as she filled his bowl with food and placed it on the floor. "Here you go, Porthos. Sorry, no cheese. We'll find the captain soon and he'll be home with you again. In the meantime, we'll take good care of you. Hmmm. I guess next you're going to have to go for a walk."

She fell silent, a thoughtful look on her face, as she watched the dog eat. She turned her eyes to Malcolm.

"What is it?" he asked at seeing revelation written across her features.

"Dogs used to be used to find people who got lost," she said excitedly. "They would track a person by the scent trail they left. Maybe we can do that with Porthos."

"I really don't think that would work," Malcolm replied, shaking his head.

"Why not?"

"For one thing, the dogs have to be specially trained."

"But Porthos has bonded with the captain, and if we get him down there and he can smell the captain, he might be able to lead us to him," Hoshi explained.

"I still don't think it will work, Ensign. Besides Porthos not being trained to do this, no one on board Enterprise has experience working with dogs in such a manner," Malcolm said.

"Sir, what have we got to lose?" implored Hoshi. "Our backups can keep doing scans while we can take Porthos down and look for the captain. And we know where to start looking, since the captain was seen at that park."

Malcolm hesitated before replying. His embarrassment at preventing the captain from wandering off in the first place and then not being able to find him was growing as each hour passed. Why not try this, he asked himself. But if this harebrained scheme worked, he knew the chief engineer would never let him live down such a solution.

"What if the captain is injured? Or even dying?" Hoshi pressed. "What if this could work, sir, and we didn't try it, and something happened to Captain Archer?"

Letting out a gust of air he been holding in his lungs before he reached his decision, Malcolm reluctantly gave in. "I still don't believe this will work but you're right. Nothing else is working. Let's allow Porthos to finish his meal first, shall we? I have a feeling he'll be covering a lot of ground."

* * *

A group of Kellians, humans, one Vulcan and one small canine on a leash gathered at edge of the park. T'Pol had been doubtful at first, but agreed to the search using Porthos. She herself had a keen sense of smell, and she knew that Porthos' was even better.

To Malcolm's surprise, Trip agreed to the plan without argument. The armory officer had expected either some teasing from the engineer or outright disbelief that they would resort to using a dog to find the captain.

"Porthos is no bloodhound, but he's got a well-developed sense of smell, not to mention familiarity with the person we're lookin' for," Trip said. "One of my great-great-great-grandpas used to have bloodhounds. There's a family story about one of his dogs findin' a missing child in a swamp. Beagles, now, they were used for hunting, primarily rabbits, I think. It's the same principle, though."

He recollected silently for a moment, then asked Hoshi, "Did you bring anythin' belongin' to the cap'n for Porthos to get a scent off of?"

"The only thing Lieutenant Reed found that we know for sure would have a strong scent of the captain was a pair of his underwear, sir," Hoshi replied sheepishly, holding up a pair of blue skivvies gingerly by the waistband. "From where they were on the floor, I'd say that it was supposed to go in the laundry but fell out from the other things."

"Good. Now..."

"Excuse me, Commander," Malcolm cut in testily, anxious to get on with the search. "This falls under my department. The ensign and I did a bit of research on search dogs before we came down. We'll take it from here. Right now we're just wasting time talking."

What we're about to try is silly enough without the engineer trying to horn in, Malcolm thought. That's all I need, Trip taking over the rescue mission and perhaps even succeeding.

Hoshi knelt down next to Porthos and thrust the skivvies under his nose.

Porthos promptly licked her face.

"No, no," she remonstrated the dog. "You're supposed to smell this, then start sniffing at the ground to find the captain's scent."

Porthos rolled over on his back and kicked his legs in the air.

"You did research, huh?" Trip commented, an amused look on his face despite his concern about their missing captain.

Ignoring the engineer, Malcolm addressed Hoshi. "Ensign, let's try taking Porthos down the path where the captain was last seen. There's too much to distract the dog here. The rest of you, keep your distance."

An hour later, Porthos hadn't indicated any interest other than what a dog normally would find interesting in a forested area--small creatures that scurried away at his approach and an occasional tree that served as a relief station. His ears and tail were starting to droop. He hadn't had this much exercise since that time he used the wrong tree and the captain had to go apologize.

Porthos wasn't the only one starting to slow down; even Hoshi was beginning to lose her enthusiasm. It had rained in the area recently, and the air was humid. Now she was hot, sticky and tired, and wanted to take a nice, hot shower. Malcolm's hardly ruffled appearance only served to make her cranky.

"I really don't want to give up, sir," Hoshi grumbled as she held the captain's underwear under Porthos' nose for the umpteenth time, "but this isn't working out quite how I thought it would."

Malcolm was torn between irritation and amusement. Irritation because they still hadn't found the captain, and amusement because now Porthos had decided that Hoshi wanted to play tug-o-war with the skivvies, and had latched on and was pulling for all his four short legs were worth.

"Porthos!" Hoshi yelled, finally losing patience with the canine. She gave a sharp yank on the underwear, pulling it away from the dog.

Porthos gave a short bark and lunged back toward the underwear--and stopped in his tracks. Malcolm and Hoshi watched in amazement as the dog raised his head and began sniffing frantically. Then, whimpering, Porthos lowered his head and began to cast about, almost pulling Hoshi off her feet as he suddenly strained against the leash.

"He's found something!" Hoshi exclaimed.

"It seems so. However, if you don't let Porthos have some slack, we won't find out what it is," Malcolm noted dryly.

Hoshi managed to get out "Uh, yes sir," before Porthos pulled her off the path into the underbrush.

Nose to the ground and tail wagging ferociously, Porthos didn't have to duck under the low limbs that kept smacking Hoshi and snagging her hair. When one particularly sharp twig slapped across her face, the linguist lost her grip on the leash and then lost her footing as well, and fell flat out on her front with her face pressing the captain's skivvies into the mud.

Taking in the situation at a glance, Malcolm broke into a run after the dog. Hoshi didn't appear to be hurt, and they couldn't afford to lose the dog. If they did, Malcolm would not only be looking for the captain, but his dog, too.

Groaning, Hoshi got to her feet. The front of her uniform was mud-splattered and she tried to brush it off the best she could but only managed to spread it around even more.

The least he could have done is help me up or ask if I'm okay, she thought uncharitably. I know we have to keep track of Porthos but, darn it, that slap across the face hurt! And after that three-point landing on the captain's used underwear, now my pride's hurt, too. If I'd had my way, we would have brought the captain's water polo ball. But, no! He insisted on the skivvies.

Picking up the offending article with her fingertips and holding it at arm's length, she started after Porthos and Malcolm.

She hadn't gone more than 20 meters when she heard barking in the distance. If she knew her "dog speak," it was a happy bark. That was a good sign. Maybe, just maybe, they had finally found the captain.

* * *

Porthos had found the captain unconscious at the bottom of a shallow ravine. Archer had fallen when the ledge upon which he had been standing gave way, and although the drop wasn't far, he had hit his head on an outcropping of rock on the way down. Medical personnel carried him out of the woods on a stretcher and loaded him on the waiting shuttlepod. He didn't regain consciousness until shortly after he was placed on a biobed in sickbay. According to Phlox, the captain would be fine after treatment and sufficient rest.

Hoshi took Porthos back to her quarters. She could have had Malcolm open the captain's quarters for her, but she thought it wouldn't be right to make the little dog be alone again. Besides, Porthos deserved some special treatment for finding his master. She gave him some cheese and lots of petting as a reward.

Coming out of the shower after cleaning off all the mud she'd fallen into, she saw Porthos curled up on her bed. Contemplating the sleeping dog, she decided she was more hungry than tired, so she quietly left her quarters.

Picking out a salad and tea in the mess hall, she spied the chief engineer and the armory officer in animated conversation. Approaching their table she asked, "May I join you?"

"Sure, have a seat, Hoshi," Trip told her.

"So, what are you two so excited about?"

Malcolm looked down at his plate and began pushing the food around with his fork.

That's a sure sign he's embarrased about something, Hoshi thought. Maybe he realizes what a cad he was to run off without a word after I crash-landed on the ground with a face full of captain shorts.

"We were talkin' about Porthos trackin' the cap'n," Trip said between bites. "I bet none of us when we left Earth would've thought Porthos would turn out to be so useful."

"The captain ought to request a special dog commendation for him," Hoshi commented with a smile.

The security officer cleared his throat before looking up and addressing Hoshi.

"Actually, Ensign, I'm going to ask the captain for a commendation for you. It was your idea to have Porthos find him, after all." He hesitated, then added, "I also have an apology to make."

Ah-hah, thought Hoshi, here it comes. He's going tell me he's sorry that he ran right off after I fell. Maybe even say we should have taken the water polo ball.

Turning to Trip, Malcolm said, "I thought badly of you, Commander. I thought you would make fun of the idea of using Porthos to track the captain. I was wrong and..."

Hoshi's coughing interrupted the apology. She couldn't believe it! Malcolm had thought something bad about the engineer, so he was apologizing? How would Trip have known about it if Malcolm hadn't told him? There was nothing to apologize for! And yet he had left her lying there in the mud and he wasn't going to apologize for that?!

Trip pounded her back a couple of times. "You okay, Hoshi? Sounds like you're chokin'."

"Something went down the wrong way," she managed to rasp out.

Hoshi decided the armory officer was in deep trouble. All she had to do was figure out how she was going to punish him. It would have to be under-handed, sneaky, and not get her busted down to crewman. Even though her conscience was telling her that she was being unreasonable, her pride had a louder voice.

Excusing herself, she got up and left the table to begin her planning.

"Never seen anybody have such a wicked smile after they about choked themself" was Trip's puzzled comment to Malcolm as they watched Hoshi leave the mess hall.

AN: If you liked this, I'll post the next story in the series. Thanks!


End file.
